Mark Fast

Backstage after Mark Fast's show, a girl packing up a few of the looks seemed to know a lot about the new spongy knit and how it combined chenille and merino. She also mentioned that it was fun to work with, but joked that her arm nearly fell off in the process. It's easy to forget that Fast's signature cobwebby dresses require high-level intarsia, plaiting, and felting techniques and, increasingly, yarn innovation. The cling is the thing. Today, though, the most salient takeaway was how noticeably Fast challenged himself with new silhouettes, all the way down to the metallic creepers the models wore. The opening look consisted of a vibrant blue flouncy sweater in the aforementioned spongy material. While its shape came courtesy of an interior drawstring, Fast cleverly emphasized the dimensionality with black lines within the knit. He also tested the slouchy waters with robe layers, roll-neck jumpers, and—gasp!—a pair of paper-bag-waist sweatpants. That being said, a taut bottom remains a prerequisite for his maxi tube skirts.

A recent trip to Mumbai with its omnipresent neon lights and saturated sunsets gave Fast his ombré color scheme. (For those who are committed to his signature body-con dresses, you might as well add one in shaded tangerine.) The soft-spoken designer mentioned that he has considered introducing new volume for some time. Now that he has—witness the final look, a remarkably un-Fastian belted coat with kimono sleeves—there's no going back.